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Build II - Paradox MJ5 - New design!
- Thread starter roberthabraken
- Start date
This. Or maybe model on the trussrod cover and Habraken on the rear of the peghead. Looking at my PRS guitar, The brand and model on the front of the peghead really is a little too much. Way to go guys, I will now be dissatisfied every time I look at that guitar from now on
After the second layer of varnish was dry I removed the masking tape and checked the result so far. Doesn't look that bad at all!! The sides are very good but the back of the neck and body do have a little bit too much varnish on them, causing uneven spots, but it all seems to be a very subtle difference. So the back of the bass does need a bit more sanding than would've been necessary at this stage, but I think that's easy to overcome. By the way, this sanding won't be done before the varnish is fully cured (> 24 hours).
The edges I was aiming for (to separate stained from non-stained) are close to perfect! I hope that they are well soaked into the wood so the stain doesn't creep under them, but all looks well at this stage I would say.
But before I will sand the varnish smooth, I'll proceed to the next step: staining. I hope I have some time tomorrow to tape of the edges and stain the top (black).
After the red stain, I will varnish the top and only then, when the whole bass is evenly varnished, I will sand back the varnish a little before applying more layers. This also helps removing the edge I created today.
The edges I was aiming for (to separate stained from non-stained) are close to perfect! I hope that they are well soaked into the wood so the stain doesn't creep under them, but all looks well at this stage I would say.
But before I will sand the varnish smooth, I'll proceed to the next step: staining. I hope I have some time tomorrow to tape of the edges and stain the top (black).
After the red stain, I will varnish the top and only then, when the whole bass is evenly varnished, I will sand back the varnish a little before applying more layers. This also helps removing the edge I created today.
Hot update: just masked the opposite (varnished) part and stained the bass a very deep black... Wow! Remarkable: looks awesome in black too 
. Hope all goes well... now wait for the stain to dry.
. Hope all goes well... now wait for the stain to dry.
Looking forward to it. Currently on a cruise so can't view photos easily. That doesn't mean you shouldn't post any though! 
Thanks, I am only familiar with the last one, didn't know there were other variants, let alone that different.
I will post photos Carl! Just waiting to make a complete report of the finishing process and either blow everyone away or sand the whole bass back and pretend if nothing happened
I will post photos Carl! Just waiting to make a complete report of the finishing process and either blow everyone away or sand the whole bass back and pretend if nothing happened
Where are the pictures my friendSuper eager to see how this turns out..
Working on them.. I planned to save them 'till I'm done, but I may post them in half an hour to show where I am right now..
This is going to be a pic heavy post: part one of finishing the Paradox!
First, I masked the top of the body and the headstock, to varnish the other half of the bass, protecting it from the stain:
Link Removed
I do have the Wenge accent layer to disguise little mistakes, gives me some tolerance for the line between stained and clear finish. But it did bother me that the Wenge accent layer disappeared in the process. And it didn't match the headstock, where due to only staining the top and not the sides, the Wenge is still visible.
So I decided to take the plunge and go for... faux binding!
Link Removed
The top of the headstock got masked right up to the edge:
Time to apply the PU varnish with a brush:
Link Removed
After two layers and a few hours I removed the tape. I was surprised to see that it approached clear lacquer a lot closer than I would've thought, although it coloured the wood slighty, but not in a bad way. The edges came out great:
Look at the flames, and that shine!
Link Removed
I did however learn a lesson while varnishing... I should've waited longer before applying the second layer, because the first one wasn't dry enough. This made the second layer spread much less than the first one did. The first layer created a very smooth (but satin) surface. The second one made it shiny and of good thickness, but there are two areas that are a bit lumpy. So I need to sand those back until they're smooth again before applying the next layer of varnish.
The next step in the finishing process is to mask the varnish, makes cleaning after staining unnecessary.
Link Removed
And.. on with the black stain! Staining went much, much better than with my test pieces. Apart from the fact that I got a bit of experience and improved a lot of small things, it's just easier to stain a larger area that's well prepared and sanded. The black looks heavy, kind of scary actually, but it also looks very good, surprisingly good.
Link Removed
After some drying time, it struck me that the flames already popped out, just with the black on it, wow!
And then, remove the tape, simply wipe off one or two small spots of black on the varnish that still crept under the tape.. et voila:
Doesn't that look the part? So far, so good! Coming out wonderfully if I must say so myself. Makes the next steps even more scary, but there's no way back and all is going well, so let's enjoy the process.
Oh.. and one more thing: I will probably leave some black on on the edges, as it is next to impossible to sand back the black stain exactly to the edge without damaging the varnished edge (still need that for the red stain!). This will created a very small but strong burst around the edges. Curious if that'll be as nice as I imagine.
First, I masked the top of the body and the headstock, to varnish the other half of the bass, protecting it from the stain:
Link Removed
I do have the Wenge accent layer to disguise little mistakes, gives me some tolerance for the line between stained and clear finish. But it did bother me that the Wenge accent layer disappeared in the process. And it didn't match the headstock, where due to only staining the top and not the sides, the Wenge is still visible.
So I decided to take the plunge and go for... faux binding!
Link Removed
The top of the headstock got masked right up to the edge:
Time to apply the PU varnish with a brush:
Link Removed
After two layers and a few hours I removed the tape. I was surprised to see that it approached clear lacquer a lot closer than I would've thought, although it coloured the wood slighty, but not in a bad way. The edges came out great:
Look at the flames, and that shine!
Link Removed
I did however learn a lesson while varnishing... I should've waited longer before applying the second layer, because the first one wasn't dry enough. This made the second layer spread much less than the first one did. The first layer created a very smooth (but satin) surface. The second one made it shiny and of good thickness, but there are two areas that are a bit lumpy. So I need to sand those back until they're smooth again before applying the next layer of varnish.
The next step in the finishing process is to mask the varnish, makes cleaning after staining unnecessary.
Link Removed
And.. on with the black stain! Staining went much, much better than with my test pieces. Apart from the fact that I got a bit of experience and improved a lot of small things, it's just easier to stain a larger area that's well prepared and sanded. The black looks heavy, kind of scary actually, but it also looks very good, surprisingly good.
Link Removed
After some drying time, it struck me that the flames already popped out, just with the black on it, wow!
And then, remove the tape, simply wipe off one or two small spots of black on the varnish that still crept under the tape.. et voila:
Doesn't that look the part? So far, so good! Coming out wonderfully if I must say so myself. Makes the next steps even more scary, but there's no way back and all is going well, so let's enjoy the process
.Oh.. and one more thing: I will probably leave some black on on the edges, as it is next to impossible to sand back the black stain exactly to the edge without damaging the varnished edge (still need that for the red stain!). This will created a very small but strong burst around the edges. Curious if that'll be as nice as I imagine.
Oh my god! Black looks soooooooo good! leave as it is! haha
The natural bingings' gonna look so nice and classy. Can't wait to see the red!
leave as it is! hahaThe natural bingings' gonna look so nice and classy. Can't wait to see the red!
I am speechless, sir...your work is inspiring as always! I have been following the whole time, just not knowing if I should add anything to what had already been said. Keep up the great work, Robert!!!!
Thanks guys!! I thought about leaving the black for a (little) while too, but it doesn't match the Macassar well and the contrast with the pickguard is too much for me. But, indeed, for a future build, black does look a lot better than expected. It looks even better now, but can't capture that with my phone cam.
AMAZING! You are very creative... I typically like more traditional shapes, but I'm really enjoying the thought and design considerations in this build.
Looks great Rob. After you sand back the black, make sure to hit the top with some naphtha to really clean it off before you apply your red. And make sure to sand WITH the grain under really good natural light, because those tiny dye particles will reveal micro-fine scratches you won't see otherwise. GOOD LUCK! 
Lonnybass
Lonnybass
